The Government Agency Dilemma

Government agencies often walk a tightrope, trying to serve a public that has high levels of demand while not wishing to spend a lot of money.

As such, when a municipal irrigation system is seen irrigating during or just after a rain shower, it is not uncommon to get irate phone calls demanding greater attention to detail.

Because of the unique demands placed on public agencies, they are often at the forefront of technologies that can create a better public landscape and save water, while needing to minimize repair and upkeep costs. With Netafim USA products, many common complaints go away. Among them:

Water savings are dramatic and immediate

No visible water during irrigation

Less maintenance because systems are often completely buried and not visible

Welcome To Netafim USA

Netafim USA is home to the most innovative low volume irrigation products in the world.

Netafim opened the first commercial drip factory in the world over 45 years ago in Israel.

Today, Netafim is among the 3 largest irrigation companies in the world, with plants and offices in every major country.

While Netafim USA’s key focus has been the development of low volume irrigation products for the agricultural market, you are visiting the web page of the Landscape & Turf Division of Netafim USA.

We in the Landscape market are devoted to taking those same fine products used agriculturally and applying them to residential and commercial landscape beautification.

As a member of a public agency, you face a variety of constraints that include high expectations and reduced budgets and manpower. Adding Netafim USA products to your systems will allow you to more efficiently irrigate public properties, while use less water, grow healthier plants, and do so with fewer dollars.

What Is Low Volume Irrigation?

Low volume, drip, or dripline irrigation is the application of water directly next to the plant, either with the water being applied on the surface near the plant, or in the ground, being delivered directly to the root zone.

Is This A New Technology?

No! When Netafim opened its first factory in the mid-1960’s, there were already a number of people that had been working on this technology for over 25 years. But Netafim USA created the commercial viability for drip and low volume irrigation products by developing and mass manufacturing products for sale.

This spawned an industry that today is recognized as the most efficient way to water, and the way that the vast bulk of farmers irrigate around the world.

What Makes Netafim USA Drip Irrigation Products So Good?

One of the major reasons Netafim USA products outperform other Landscape irrigation products is because Netafim USA products got their start as Agricultural products. The performance standards in Agriculture are far more demanding than is typically found in the Landscape market. (The difference between a dry spot in a garden or lawn, and a farmer losing an entire crop).

Netafim USA products offer a wide variety of advantages to public agencies, including:

Very easy to design with, layout and install

No exposed spray

Reduced vandalism

Saving anywhere from 30% – 70% of the water normally used with overhead sprays, oscillators or rotors

Healthier plants, often growing to maturity as much as 50% faster, and doing so with less disease

What Types Of Low Volume Products Are There?

Drip – Drip emitters, sometimes called point source products are well known by many people.

An emitter is inserted into a pipe that feeds through a garden area, and is designed to provide water to a specific point. Hence the name “point source”.

In our site you will see a variety of point source emitters. There are two families of them, Pressure Compensating Point Source Emitters and Non-Pressure Compensating Point Source Emitters.

Dripline – Dripline is tubing that has emitters already installed in the tubing. This form of low volume irrigation is very popular because it wets the entire garden area, whereas Point Source emitters only irrigate specific points. In fact, the concept of both overhead watering a dripline irrigation is to create an even wetted pattern throughout the area being irrigated. the problem is that the vagaries of overhead watering preclude that from happening.

Many municipalities use Netafim Techline® CV or Techline® driplines in areas where they would have otherwise used sprinklers.

Why Should We Use Netafim USA Products?

While drip and dripline irrigation has been used around the world for over 45 years, it has only been in the last 10 years that products such as Techline CV & Techline have made low volume irrigation easy to use.

Agencies sensitive to water use are insisting on low volume irrigation for their projects, often being very aware of articles heralding the benefits of saving water, growing healthier plants, and being sensitive to public complaints of water waste.

Making Netafim USA products a standard part of your landscape irrigation will help you immediately begin saving water, maintenance dollars, and freeing you up to spend time on other projects.

For years Techline CV and Techline have been called the Irrigation Problem Solvers because many of the problems you face cannot be easily solved with fixed spray and rotors.

Areas like:

Curved, narrow or angular planting areas

High traffic/high liability areas

Areas subject to vandalism

High wind areas

Areas where plant growth blocks or will block water

Slopes

Hardscapes that could be bleached or stained such as house or building facades, wood fences or at-grade windows

Medians or curbs where car bumpers can block spray

Low pressure or low volume

Watering window issues (The amount of time that the system can be irrigated)

Areas where watering bans during drought allow low volume zones to be used without restriction.

Where Can I Use It on My Public Areas?

The easy answer is anywhere. Our products, especially Techline, can be used in shrub and groundcover areas, in flowerbeds, turfgrass, and interiorscapes.

It has passed the rigorous tests that its use in Agriculture demand, so you can rest assured that it will exceed your quality requirements.

Remember the slogan “The Irrigation Problem Solver” is not just words, because you often run into one or more of the application issues described above that overhead irrigation solutions just can’t answer as effectively.

Does It Really Save Water?

You bet! In North America there are often 30% – 70% savings in water alone. Seems hard to believe doesn’t it? But think about it.

Sprinklers throw water everywhere. In the street, on buildings, on sidewalks, in adjoining properties, on fences, into the trees and bushes, and into the air. Hopefully some of it gets to the root zone where the plant needs it, but often not enough.

Because of wind, evaporation (humidity), run-off, out of adjustment issues, and when during the day the irrigation system is operated, many “overhead” irrigation systems are only about 50% efficient. (Read that another way.many overhead systems use twice as much water as they should to get the job done).

Because of wind, evaporation (humidity), run-off, out of adjustment issues, and when during the day the irrigation system is operated, many “overhead” irrigation systems are only about 50% efficient. (Read that another way.many overhead systems use twice as much water as they should to get the job done).

As a government professional, you have a vested interest in not only creating a lush landscape for the public, but you also need to be aware of the amount of water your system uses. Saving 30% – 70% of the water of an overhead system makes good sense!

Is It Easy To Choose The Correct Product To Use?

With Techline, you simply answer these two basic questions. One, are you irrigating shrubs and groundcover or turfgrass, and two, what type of soil do you have?

Armed with only that information, we can tell you

Which Netafim product to use

How far apart to install rows of dripline

What the application rate is

How many GPM every 100′ uses

How many feet a length of dripline can go

How many minutes to run the zone to apply 1/4″ of water,

We can also tell you other things, such as roughly how many feet of Techline you will use in an area when you know how many square feet there are.

Please visit our Techline CV and Techline Calculator which will automatically run the calculations given the correct input and estimates how much dripline you will need plus determines all of the other major components such as filter, PRV, staples, flush valves, etc.

We know that you work with various irrigation manufacturers’ catalogs. In there are a wide variety of products that may or may not work in the areas you are designing for. With Netafim USA, the correct product is always chosen. The guesswork is gone.